End of Two Decades of Left-Wing Rule in Bolivia, Runoff Vote for Presidency

In the South American country of Bolivia, nearly 20 years of left-wing rule are coming to an end. The country’s election commission announced that a runoff vote for the presidency will be held on October 19, as no candidate secured the required majority.

Preliminary results, released after counting over 91% of the votes on Sunday night, show that Rodrigo Paz, the candidate of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and a centrist politician, is leading with 32.8% of the vote. Meanwhile, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, candidate of the coalition party Alianza Libre and former interim president, is in second place with 26.4% of the vote. Both candidates will face each other in the runoff.

According to the constitution, a candidate must win more than 50% of the votes, or at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the nearest rival, to secure a direct victory. This time, no candidate met that threshold.

Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor reporting from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, said the results make it clear that the left-wing Movement for Socialism (MAS), which has been in power since 2005, is no longer in a dominant position.

She added, “The biggest surprise is that Rodrigo Paz, who was previously polling in fourth or fifth place, is now at the top.”

Rodrigo Paz’s father, former President Jaime Paz, was a left-leaning politician, but the son has taken a comparatively centrist stance.

Eight candidates contested this election, representing the political spectrum from right to left. Before the election, the top two candidates in opinion polls had been Quiroga and wealthy businessman and former minister Samuel Doria Medina.

Notably, former President Evo Morales was not allowed to run, and current socialist President Luis Arce, who had conflicts with Morales, withdrew from the election himself.